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Russia 2018 World Cup May Be Without Messi and Ronaldo
As it is getting anxious for teams and players fearing missing out on the World Cup, two of the world’s iconic players are possible victims.
By the time the draw for the finals is conducted in Moscow in December, even Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could be facing up to spending next June on the beach rather than on the fields in Russia.
For now, only seven qualification slots have been filled by Belgium, Brazil, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and South Korea.
Another 24 places are still vacant, after the latest rounds of qualifiers.
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MESSI AND RONALDO
Time is running out for the two best players in world soccer over the last decade. Not just to win the World Cup for the first time, either, because Ronaldo and Messi might not even make the trip to Russia.
As things stand in Europe, Ronaldo’s Portugal is second in its qualifying group and the reigning European champions are facing a November playoff to gain a spot in the following month’s finals draw.
At least Portugal won both games in the last week. Argentina was held by both Uruguay and Venezuela in Jorge Sampaoli’s first games in charge, despite having Messi back from suspension.
Argentina still has time to move up from fifth to the fourth and final automatic qualification place.
But the final two qualifiers next month for the two-time world champions are against Peru — currently fourth — and Ecuador — chasing Argentina in fifth place for the right to face New Zealand in a playoff.
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CHAMPIONS COLLAPSE
The World Cup will be without African champion Cameroon. Copa America winner Chile could be absent, too.
Cameroon’s qualification bid ended this week, while Chile is sixth in the South American standings and struggling to force its way into a playoff after losing to Bolivia on Tuesday.
It’s barely two months since the Chileans were contesting the Confederations Cup final where they lost to Germany, and players are feeling the heat.
“You get tired of being criticized with reason and without reason,” Chile forward Alexis Sanchez wrote on Instagram.
“You get tired of people wanting to see you lose, you get tired of saying to yourself ‘Once more I’ll get up’ after crying after a defeat, and you get tired of telling the world and people who are with you, that everything is going well.”
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AMERICANS CLING ON
The United States is in danger of missing its first World Cup since 1986 after a home loss to Costa Rica and a draw in Honduras.
Bruce Arena’s team is hanging onto fourth place by goal difference ahead of Honduras. The fourth-place team is still plunged into a playoff against Australia or Syria to qualify for Russia.
Next up in October for the Americans are a Panama side which is a point ahead of them in the third automatic qualification place and last-place Trinidad and Tobago.
It’s the first time since 1989 that the qualification fate of the U.S. has been on the line going into the finale.
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SYRIA’S BID
Several teams are still in contention to make their World Cup debuts in Russia: Burkina Faso, Panama, Uganda … and Syria.
To qualify, Syria would have to beat Australia over two games in October and then overcome a CONCACAF opponent in a November playoff round.
When Syria drew in Iran on Tuesday in qualifying, there were celebrations home back in the capital Damascus.
What makes Syria’s progress on the field even more remarkable is the team is playing as a civil war rages. That is also what makes the prospect of a Syrian team packed with government supporters appearing at the World Cup potentially problematic for critics of the President Bashir Assad’s regime.
FIFA rules say politics should be separated completely from the soccer.
A World Cup trip next June by Assad to Russia, Syria’s chief international ally, could rapidly become a sensitive issue for FIFA.
Without citing any country, the Asian Football Confederation opened an investigation on Wednesday into rule breaches linked to the need for national teams to respect political neutrality.
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DUTCH DESPAIR
The Netherlands is facing missing a second straight major tournament, with even a place in the playoffs slipping out of sight.
The 2010 World Cup finalists were dealt one of the hardest groups, but a 4-0 loss to leader France last week showed the size of the gulf between Dick Advocaat’s side and the continental powers.
The Dutch are third in their group with two games remaining, three points behind their final group opponent, Sweden.
Although France leads the group from Sweden, Les Bleus have carelessly dropped points in a late defeat to Sweden in June and a 0-0 home draw with lowly Luxembourg.
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GERMAN FAN TROUBLE
Germany’s problem isn’t qualifying for Russia as the World Cup holders lead their group by five points with two games remaining. The issue is the behaviour of fans.
There is abuse aimed often at their own player — Timo Werner — all over a dive by the striker in a German league game last season.
Far more disturbing are the Nazi slogans that were chanted during a game in the Czech Republic last week and led to FIFA opening an investigation.
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NO QATAR
Qatar’s qualification bid ended in failure last week, just like in every previous campaign.
The significance this time is that the Gulf nation will now make its debut on soccer’s biggest stage when it hosts the World Cup in 2022.
The Supreme Council of Sufi Orders has officially recognised the Akbariyya Hatimiyya Order, marking a significant step in the regulation of Sufi practices and reinforcing what the Council describes as its commitment to a moderate religious approach.
Sheikh Sayyid Ayman Hamdi al-Akbariyya, head of the Akbariyya Hatimiyya Order, met with Dr Abdel-Hadi al-Qasabi, Grand Sheikh of Sufi Orders and President of the Supreme Council, where he presented the official recognition decree.
With the issuance of the decree, the Akbariyya Hatimiyya Order becomes one of the officially recognised Sufi orders in the Arab Republic of Egypt, joining 80 other orders operating under the Council’s umbrella.
According to officials, the recognition follows a period of organisational and administrative work by the Order’s leadership, including compliance with legal requirements and regulatory standards approved by the Council. The move is expected to strengthen the Order’s institutional presence and enhance its religious and spiritual role within Egyptian society.
Rooted in the Legacy of Ibn Arabi
The Akbariyya Hatimiyya Order derives its methodology from the teachings of the renowned Sufi master Ibn Arabi, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Islamic mysticism. The Order has followers in Egypt and across several countries in the Islamic world, with a notable presence in parts of Europe and Asia.
Its teachings emphasise love, spiritual purification, tolerance and deepening the spiritual dimension of Muslim life.
During the meeting, both sides stressed the importance of adhering to the moderate Azharite approach and strengthening the role of Sufi orders in promoting sound religious awareness, ethical values, coexistence and social peace.
The Influence of “The Greatest Sheikh”
Born in 560 AH in Murcia, Andalusia, Ibn Arabi — whose full name was Muhyiddin Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Arabi al-Hatimi al-Ta’i al-Andalusi — grew up in a scholarly and spiritual environment. He later travelled extensively across North Africa and the Levant before settling in Damascus, where he died in 638 AH/1240 CE. His shrine in Damascus remains a well-known landmark.
Often referred to as “The Greatest Sheikh,” Ibn Arabi’s school of thought came to be known as the Akbariyya. Among his most celebrated works are Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya (The Meccan Revelations), Fusus al-Hikam (The Bezels of Wisdom), and Tarjuman al-Ashwaq (The Interpreter of Desires).
His writings are characterised by philosophical depth and a mystical exploration of divine love, spiritual purification and the concept of the “perfect human being.” His influence has shaped Sufi thought across the Islamic world and extended into intellectual circles in Europe and Asia.
The formal recognition of the Akbariyya Hatimiyya Order reflects Egypt’s continued effort to regulate religious institutions while preserving the rich spiritual traditions rooted in centuries of Islamic scholarship and mysticism.
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- Summary
- * Tottenham slip closer to the relegation zone
- * West Ham denied at the death by Man Utd
- * Chelsea held at home by Leeds
Yet another Premier League home defeat left Tottenham Hotspur looking over their shoulder at the relegation zone and manager Thomas Frank nearer the exit door on Tuesday as Newcastle United eased their own slump with a 2-1 victory in north London.
Last season’s Europa League winners and qualifiers for this season’s Champions League last-16 were booed off after Jacob Ramsey sealed a rare away win for Eddie Howe’s side.
Tottenham would have found themselves only three points above the drop zone had it not been for Manchester United’s Benjamin Sesko scoring a stoppage-time equaliser to deny 18th-placed West Ham United a 1-0 win.
The 1-1 draw kept United in fourth place although it ended caretaker manager Michael Carrick’s 100% record since taking over in January.
Another unblemished record went at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior dropped his first league points since replacing Enzo Maresca, his side drawing 2-2 at home to Leeds United having led 2-0.
Bournemouth came from a goal down to win 2-1 at Everton with second-half goals by Brazilian teenager Rayan and Amine Adli. Everton, who had led through Iliman Ndiaye’s first-half penalty, ended with 10 men after Jake O’Brien was red-carded.
Tottenham have not been relegated from the top flight since 1977 but such is the present malaise at the club it is now becoming a genuine fear as they are in 16th place, five points above West Ham whose form is on the up.
They have not won a Premier League game since December 28 and have managed only two victories from their 13 home league games this season. To make matters worse, their next fixture is at home to north London rivals and leaders Arsenal.
‘UNDERSTAND THE FRUSTRATION’
Whether Frank is still in charge then is beginning to look increasingly unlikely. Not for the first time this season, the Dane left the pitch to chants of ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ from Tottenham’s fans.
“I understand the frustration and the easiest thing is to point at me,” Frank said of the fans. “That’s part of the job unfortunately. I will work day and night to turn this around but it is not just one person. There is no doubt we need to improve and I need to be part of that.”
Newcastle completely dominated the first half and the only surprise was it took them until stoppage time to get ahead as defender Malick Thiaw stabbed home a rebound.
Injury-hit Tottenham were marginally better after the break and Archie Gray levelled. But Newcastle deservedly took the points when Anthony Gordon teed up Ramsey for a cute finish, his first goal since joining from Aston Villa.
Newcastle moved up to 10th in the table on 36 points. Tottenham have 29 points from 26 games, with Nottingham Forest, who play bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday, on 26 from 25. West Ham have 24.
SESKO SALVAGES POINT FOR MAN UNITED
West Ham were seconds away from a fourth win in five league games as they led with Tomas Soucek’s strike early in the second half after good work by Jarrod Bowen.
United had an effort from Casemiro ruled out but salvaged a point when substitute Sesko struck at the death.
Carrick’s side have 45 points, one more than Chelsea who will be kicking themselves after drawing with Leeds.
“It is a tough place to come and we didn’t have that sharpness to find the answers,” Carrick said. “Great spirit again and we will take the point and move on.”
Chelsea appeared to be cruising with goals either side of the interval from Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer who scored his third penalty in two games.
But they threw away two points as Moises Caicedo fouled Jayden Bogle and Lukas Nmecha converted a penalty before Noah Okafor poked in an equaliser after Chelsea failed to clear a ball into the area.
“If we want to improve and get to where we want to be, we have to make sure we’re switched on for 90 minutes. It’s as simple as that,” Rosenior said afterwards.
The draw lifted Leeds above Tottenham into 15th.
-Reuters
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Rivers United’s campaign in the CAF Champions League suffered a major setback on Sunday after the Nigerian champions fell 1–0 at home to Zambia’s Power Dynamos.
The defeat, recorded in Uyo, leaves Rivers United anchored at the bottom of Group A with just one point from four matches, severely denting their hopes of progressing to the knockout stage.
With only two matches left in the group, the Port Harcourt-based side now faces an uphill task, as both remaining fixtures are against the group’s leading teams; Morocco’s RS Berkane and defending champions Pyramids FC of Egypt.
Sunday’s result boosted Power Dynamos’ chances, as the Zambian side moved up to third place in the group with four points, three adrift of second-placed RS Berkane. Berkane’s position was weakened earlier in the day after they were thrashed 3–0 by Pyramids in Egypt.
Pyramids FC continued their impressive run in the group, tightening their grip on the standings with 10 points from four matches to remain firmly on course for qualification.
For Rivers United, the loss marked another frustrating night in their continental campaign, with hopes of a late revival now resting on unlikely results against Africa’s in-form clubs in the remaining group fixtures.
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